Friday, February 01, 2013

Mayor Koch and Daniel Pearl Z"L

New York - Former New York City mayor Ed Koch who died Friday morning at the age of 88 said in 2008 he has engraved on his tombstone the final statement of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl.

Koch told the Associated Press in 2008:

The marker will bear the Star of David and a Hebrew prayer, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” It also will be inscribed with the last words of journalist Daniel Pearl before he was murdered by terrorists in 2002: “My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish.”

Koch explained that he had been moved that Pearl chose to affirm his faith and heritage in his last moments.

The Algemeiner points out that, it is therefore noteworthy and fitting that the day of Koch’s passing, Feb 1st 2013 comes 11 years to the day after the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl, that icon of Jewish pride.

In the Hebrew date, it is off by 2 days, since in 5773, it's 21 Shevat, whereas in 5762, it was 19 Shevat. (I'm not sure if Daniel Pearl's murder occurred after Sheki'a, in which case, it would only be 1 day off.)

With another recent event happening 11 years later - namely, the Benghazi attack 11 years after 9/11 - I can't help but wondering what the message is. See more about the number 11 at Shirat Devorah.

G-d bless you, Ed. Baruch Dayan Emeth. May your family be comforted amongst the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim. I am sorry to say that your city that you loved so much, after Rudy Giuliani, has fallen into the wrong hands. But you are in a place, the World of Truth, where you now know this.

"G-d bless"? I thought you felt very strongly about people who choose the homosexual lifestyle, I also thought you stated that everyone who voted for Obama, let alone support him, is cursed and will go to hell. I guess you are willing to overlook a thing or two, as long as the gay liberal is a proud Zionist and enjoys setting up garbage incinerators in Haredi neighbourhoods.

Ed Koch kept his sexual orientation a private matter. (I believe he ultimately declared himself to be heterosexual.) Whatever a man does behind closed doors with another man is between them and G-d. Koch never forced homosexual union recognition on the citizens of his city or state. When the state gets involved recognizing such unions and granting contracts for those unions, then the State becomes liable for the sin. Find 2 witnesses that ever witnessed Ed Koch or anyone else doing what they do, and then who can make the matter a public matter and only then does it even become a matter for earthly courts.

I don't know about any garbage incinerators, and this matter of voting for Obama will be brought up again between him and G-d, probably as we are talking about it right now. Publicly, this former mayor was a proud and loving Jew. And as flesh and blood, we can only remember what he publicly did with his life. If you have any personal stories about him that are positive, you can bring them up too.

"Ed Koch kept his sexual orientation a private matter."Ed Koch argued, and I agree with him, that sexuality of a public servant is irrelevant to his office and the subject should not be raised in political debate. He offered, as a response to such questions, an expletive. Do you agree with that? I had the impression you did not.

"(I believe he ultimately declared himself to be heterosexual.)" Yes in a famous interview he stated "I happen to be heterosexual". He always found it hilarious that if someone has a promiscuous lifestyle with many partners, and one of them is same-sex, that's what people notice (I am heavily downtoning the discussion in order to keep it suitable for this website). The very phrase you quoted continued: I happen to be heterosexual, but I do care to protect the rights of that % of people who are homosexuals and who are being prevented from enjoying their rights, that they don't have the ability to enforce. I am quoting from memory but I am sure we can look it up.

"Whatever a man does behind closed doors with another man is between them and G-d." It was b'farhesia and not behind closed doors, but he was discreet about it. Exactly like de Haan: I wonder if you would say "G-d bless" about him? Or is de Haan, the frei liberal homosexual, a bad Jew because he did not buy into the zionist dream (and was murdered because of that) while Koch, the frei liberal homosexual, is a good Jew because he was an outspoken supporter of Zionism? If not, please point out the differences.

"Koch never forced homosexual union recognition on the citizens of his city or state." Here you are misinformed, as Koch was an activist for gay rights back in those days when no one cared about gay rights, when people did not even talk about the subject, in the pre-AIDS era. He was an activist as a young lawyer and in his political career before 1977. Just after becoming mayor, he passed a bill against gay discrimination, and he later pushed, successfully, a key gay/lesbian rights bills which had been previously rejected numerous times. He marched in the Gay Parade, and was the first mayor of NYC ever to do so. We may agree or disagree with him, but he saw himself as a very vocal champion of LGBT rights and this is how history will remember him. There was no issue of gay marriage back in those years, because there was no such thing as monogamous gay couples who were interested in, say, getting a mortgage together. It was the AIDS epidemy which lead (a minority of) gays to have long-term relationships, in the US and worldwide.

"When the state gets involved recognizing such unions and granting contracts for those unions, then the State becomes liable for the sin." I have never sworn allegiance to any state and I never will, if the "State" is liable, so be it, I am not the state nor its representative. I have no interest in passports and flags, much less in running for office. That said, I happen to think that unions and contracts that the state issues are totally worthless: after all, it's been centuries that nonjews and jews have been "marrying" no problem. I also happen to think that gay people are entitled to have whatever job they are qualified for and they are hired for, but I do not think this should be imposed upon anyone: by its very nature, an employment contract should be based upon mutual trust and both parties should not be forced into contracts they do not wish, or they wish to rescind. For example, I don't have any problem with, say, schools hiring openly homosexual teachers if they want to; in fact I went to public school and I had more than one. I do have a problem with "anti-discrimination" laws which force, say, an employer to face costly lawsuits, if, suppose, we hire someone as children's tutor, and he comes out of the closet, and the employers don't like an openly homosexual person to be the children's role model. This is exactly the sort of legislation that Mr Koch pioneered.

"Find 2 witnesses that ever witnessed Ed Koch or anyone else doing what they do, and then who can make the matter a public matter and only then does it even become a matter for earthly courts."There is no such crime in NY state, and I agree there should not be: the courts should deal with violent crimes, not with people's private life. Or are you referring to bet din? He is dead now, and you surely noticed his kvura is separate, it is apart.

"I don't know about any garbage incinerators," He planned various huge garbage incinerators to be built in the haredi neighbourhoods of Brooklyn, where he did not get too many votes. Everyone is NIMBY but Brooklyn, which already had a number of garbage incinerators and other garbage facilities, is and was an area with many children and pregnant ladies, and we all know about dioxine, heavy metals etc. I am surprised you did not hear about the former Navy Yard area which was on newspapers and TV worldwide for months, this is in fact how I learned the word NIMBY. I think currently there are no incinerators operating in NYC, even though Bloomberg favours them: none of the proposals passed the environmental requirements of current laws.

"and this matter of voting for Obama will be brought up again between him and G-d, probably as we are talking about it right now." I see, are you willing to say the same about everyone else who is working with Obama? Jack Lew?

"Publicly, this former mayor was a proud and loving Jew." Is that intended as a comparison to self-hating jews? Do you mean Bobby Fischer? Or do you have other people in mind?

"And as flesh and blood, we can only remember what he publicly did with his life." What he did, he did in public. He was very proud of being himself. You are stealing from him by whitewashing his life. He talked to many Rabbonim, he was always very respectful but always made it clear that he was himself, he did not seek benevolence or sympathy. He always did what he thought it was right, and what he thought it was right was not open to discussion.

"If you have any personal stories about him that are positive, you can bring them up too." Yes. I heard his kvura is al pi halacha according to very reliable opinions. He wanted to be buried as a Jew, and he fought to have things his way, as it was usually the case. Rabbonim were consulted and Koch, who had planned funeral and burial long in advance, went well out of his way to do things properly. Like his hero Daniel Pearl, he did not live as a Jew, yet he died as a Jew. It should be a merit for him and an example to others.

Yes, the same is true about Ya'akov Lew. He will have to account for why he so dedicatedly served this Primoridal Serpant from the Garden of Eden, a truly evil man. Thank G-d, Lew is in his service now regarding domestic policy only. Obamanation will be like Paro within the entire period for next 2 1/2 to 3 years. It is best to not be part of his foreign policy team over this short period of time.

I am impressed that you know so much about the career of Ed Koch. I am not a New Yorker. So I cannot speak with such poignant accuracy about his 3 terms as Mayor. You obviously preferred David Dinkins, who came next.

No, I did not prefer Dinkins, nor do I prefer Bloomberg, but yet, NYC was not very safe for Jews throughout the long period he was a mayor. To me, in the late 70s and the 80s, NYC was some faraway place that, when people came from (dressed with some loud clothing from the 70s if young enough or with some conservative suit if old enough, and uncovered head) they would tell us that they can't stand the clothings and that in NYC it's actually possible, even though it's getting dangerous, to dress like jews, in black and white and with a hat upon the kippa. Then they complained about Koch and the terrible situation, how he claims enforcing order and security and instead police won't get involved in a certain kind of incidents, and every day old people get beaten and harassed by the antisemites etc. People would listen and I am sure most European thought "where's the news?" including those, like in Paris or Zurich or Antwerp, who dressed like Jews, but at their own risk. And besides the mayor, I had little opportunity of dreaming fantasies about Brooklyn because of the continuous requests for money for legal expenses, and the accompanying documentation. Actually looking back, it seems very little has changed in the last 30-40 years, may we soon have Moshiach.

Cosmic Clock:

About Me

Who is "yaak"?
I'm a half-Sepharadi, half-Ashkenazi, Haredi Zionist. I hope that clears it all up. :-)
I went to a Haredi elementary school, a mixed Haredi/modern high school, Haredi Yeshiva in Israel, and back to a mixed Yeshiva after that. I have a masters degree in computer science and Semicha.
BA"H Mash'ala, I'm married to a wonderful wife with 6 great children.
Hoping to meet each one of my readers in Yerushalayim when we are Olim LeRegel there very soon...